Cream + Tails: Siblings Forever
By: DJ Rodriguez and Nicky Haugh
(Author's Notes: Okay everyone, here is Chapter Five our story here! Just this and one more chapter to go! We thank all of those who have read and reviewed this story so far. Again, Sonic X stories are not my area of expertise but for a request for a friend, I will do my best.
Again, thank you to all who have read and enjoyed this story. It is nearing its finale, so enjoy!
I do not own the plot, my new Author friend does. Neither of us own Sonic X, as it is a television animated series that was created in Japan. It was directed by Haijime Kamegaki, produced by Takeshi Sasamura & Tadahito Matsumoto. The original network is was broadcasted from is TV Tokyo in Japan, and in the United States by many other networks such as Disney Channel, Jetix, Fox, 4Kids TV and more. It ran from April 2003 to April 2005.
Now, on with the story!)
Chapter 5
Cream was not in the best of moods at the moment. She was being led, at laser rifle gunpoint, by several of Eggman's robotic guards. She, Cheese & Vanilla were being led by the metallic minions of the nefarious human scientist to his dungeon cells that were aboard the Egg Fort. She thought, 'Oh dear… we're caught, and I don't know if Tails is okay or not. Oh… what are we going to do?'.
Despite being young, Cream was quite intelligent for her age. Not a genius in the sense like Tails was with machines and all, but enough to mark her as being smart. She knew that if she made any kind of attempt to escape, it would be futile for two reasons. One, she was not as swift as Tails or Sonic, so any kind of surprise attack of any kind would be good for only a few seconds… ten at the most. And could not capitalize on anything within that small timeframe.
Also, even if she did try something… it most likely endanger her mother and friend, and that she could not take that chance. While Cheese was a fighter of sort, Vanilla was not. So for the moment… she was stuck.
She closed her eyes tight and mentally prayed, 'Please, please… someone save us!'.
Her prayers were answered, as something flashed above the party! The company stopped and looked up, sensors activated and laser rifles now pointing upward. Their optics could not penetrate the darkness in the rafters… but soon it was filled with spots of pale golden light, which turned out to be energy!
Arrows of this energy rained down on the group, the robots seemingly being the only targets as the spearheads of light pierced right through them and obliterated them! Vanilla quickly went over and held her daughter and Cheese, the two staying still while the deadly volley of light rained down around them!
The Eggman robots fired their rifles, but they seemed to hit nothing as the deadly shower of light spears continued on! It lasted for a minute or so… than it was all over.
Vanilla slowly uncurled her form around Cream and Cheese, the trio opening their eyes to see… that scattered around them were the remains of the robot guards. They were completely destroyed, all that was left were scrapts for the recycling bins. They were amazed to see on what had just occurred, rising back up to their feet as they continued to look around them.
The mature bunny beauty asked, "What… What just happened?".
Her daughter answered, "I believe someone helped us, Mother. But I think we need to go before something bad happens!". As if to answer her question, an alarm sounded off which did not mean good news for the ladies and Chao. Vanilla quickly took the hand of her child and started to run in a random direction, Cheese holding tight to Cream's head. They turned a corner, just as some robot soldiers came in to see the carnage that was before them.
The anthro rabbits and their floating friend rushed down some corridors, but soon they were met with a dead end. Cream exclaimed with some fright in her tone, "Oh no, we're trapped! There's no way out!". She was correct as the wall in front of them was solid steel and most likely reinforced. While Knuckles would probably be able to bash through it easily, Cream knew that all of them combined would not be able to put even a tiny dent in the wall before them.
Vanilla turned around to go back… but saw some shadows on the wall, which indicated that they were going to have some unpleasant company soon! She looked all around the area they were in frantically… until she looked up and spotted a grated vent above them! After some quick mental thinking, she looked at Cream and Cheese and said, "There is a way out, but only for you and Cheese!".
The duo turned to the older woman, who pointed at the grate above them. Vanilla spoke once more, "You two go into the vent and get out of here! I'll try to buy you some time!".
Cream grabbed her by the front of her dress and exclaimed, "No, you can't stay behind! Come on, I know you can fit through there!". Cheese squeaked out his wish for her to come along as well instead of staying behind.
Vanilla kneeled down to her only child, a patient smile on as she replied, "You know I can't fit through there. And… as a mother, it is my duty and honor to protect my child. Now, there is little time to argue. Go up quickly! Find Tails or find a way out of here. Now go!".
The little bunny girl was crying, not wanting to leave her mother to the fates of Eggman's minions… but her logical side told her that this was the only way. She hugged her mother tightly, Cheese doing the same to the side of her head, but slowly releasing her. She flapped her ears to the grate, pushed on through and climbed into the vent. Cheese grabbed the grate from below, and flew up to join Cream while putting the grate back in place.
If the grate was off and lying beside Vanilla, the security robots would know that something was amiss and the whole sacrifice would be for nothing. Cream looked down to her mother, who waved to her while putting on a brave face. The young bunny girl waved back, as did her Chao companion, before crawling away from the scene.
When she saw that her daughter was gone, Vanilla turned back to the only exitway… to see that coming in now were several Eggman robots, all armed with laser blasters now. After seeing the carnage to their fellow robots, they felt that an upgrade to weapons was needed. They marched into the corridor, going to the organic who had her hands up in a show of surrender.
One of the robots declared in a cool robotic tone, "Organic, you will be coming with us to the cells now.".
An equally cool but firm voice called out, "I don't think so, Tin Man.".
The robots turned around… only for the one that talked to Vanilla just moments ago was met with a boot to the face, which caved in almost instantly! Vanilla saw that the boot was connected to a familiar body… which was Shadow!
Said black & red hedgehog flipped in mid-air and landed in front of the mature beauty, becoming her shield. The Eggman robots turned and locked their weapons on him, since he was considered more of a threat than the unarmed rabbit. Shadow had a scowl on his face as he rushed towards the group, his trademark attack Chaos Spears forming in his hands. He slid and slided among the metallic soldiers, firing his energy attacks at point blank range that obliterated the robots easily! In a matter of seconds… it was over.
Shadow was now at the end of the corridor, and in his wake was a trail of scrapped robots and one very surprised Vanilla Rabbit.
Said bunny walked over to him, thanking him for saving her. He replied firmly, "If you wish to thank me, tell me where Dr. Eggman is. I have some unfinished business with the good doctor.".
Vanilla answered, "I don't know where he is at the moment, Shadow. All I do know is that he is most likely trying to find Tails, and now Cream and Cheese are trying to look for him too.".
The hedgehog shook his head and stated, "Those kids… it seems I need to get to them before the doctor does. You… You do not have a chance here on your own. Grab by hand and I'll take you back to your home. Its still here on this flying hunk of junk.".
The mature beauty nodded her head, taking her hand into Shadow's right one. The black & red hedgehog closed his eyes, preparing to utilize his next trademark move- Chaos Control. Normally, he would need a Chaos Emerald to utilize the teleporting technique. However, he had learned he could still teleport without one but it would only be at short distances at best.
Thankfully, the house was indeed nearby so it was within his range.
His eyes snapped open and in a flash of white light… Vanilla and Shadow vanished without a trace!
~At the Rabbit residence~
Vanilla and Shadow flashed back into existence, right at the door of her home. The mature bunny was a little disoriented from the teleport technique, but she quickly regained her senses. Shadow spoke, "Here you are. The remaining robots are now scanning this area, believing that this home is not a priority anymore. So you should be safe here.".
Vanilla thanked him once more, the hedgehog just replying with a 'hmph' sound before preparing to leave. However, the mature anthro woman saw something on Shadow's left arm. She exclaimed, "Oh! You're hurt. Please, come inside and I will treat it.".
Shadow looked down to see that Vanilla was correct; his left arm had a bad burn on it, most likely due to the explosions that he made after decimating the soldiers with his energy attack. He moved his arm a little, and quickly some pain shot through him. He turned to see the look of concern and tenderness on Vanilla's face & in her eyes. That caused him to crumble quickly.
He answered, "Okay… let's get myself treated.".
Vanilla smiled softly, guiding Shadow into her home and to the kitchen where the medical supplies were at. He was sat down in a chair while she went out to get the kit. The hedgehog had never been in the rabbit's household before, so he settled on looking around the place. It looked quite neat and tidy, with a hint of something that made it more inviting and warm.
She stated, "Ah, I got it!". She had been reaching into the cabinet on the shelf, and now was holding a medium-sized white box with a large red cross on it. She sat down beside Shadow, putting the box on the table and opening it to reveal its contents, which were some bandages of various kinds, medicine cream, small packs to put ice in and more.
Vanilla put some disinfectant liquid on a cotton ball, which was being held in a set of tweezers. She than dabbed said cotton ball on Shadow's injured spot on his arm, making him slightly flinch from the tiny but sharp pain. Let it be known that no matter how tough a person is… disinfectant or hydrogen peroxide on wounds would make them even flinch from the stinging contact.
As Vanilla worked her medical skills on Shadow, said hedgehog looked to the anthro woman and asked, "Tell me something… why are you and your child even here? I know why Tails would be a target for Eggman but… why you bring you three along at all?".
The mature bunny beauty took a moment to collect her thoughts, sighed and answered in a soft voice, "Eggman must have seen the bond grow between Tails and Cream, I believe back on Earth and here on Mobius. While I see it as heartwarming and good… sadly, all that human doctor can see is something he can pull and twist in a bad manipulative way.".
Shadow looked to the mother and inquired in a cool but soft tone, "Those two are quite close now, huh?".
Vanilla answered, "Yes indeed. They have grown and bonded naturally, more so on Earth due to our adventures there. And now back here on Mobius… it's like seeing more of a brother with his sister rather than just two best friends. Cream worries about him when he is away with Sonic, while Tails… well, views us as family. His actions when he defended us against the robots earlier shows that…".
The black and red hedgehog looked mildly surprised as he inquired, "Really? What happened?".
The mother of Cream answered as she finished applying the bandages to Shadow, "Dr. Eggman sent his robots to attack our home village. Tails and Cream arrived with Big after an outing, the little fox telling Big to look after my daughter and Cheese while he took care of some of the mechanical menaces.".
She continued, "Some of the nasty metal things grabbed me and tried to use me as a hostage, but I was able to fight back and cause a distraction long enough for Tails to take care of them. After making sure I was alright, he went back out and fought the rest of the robots off… though it did cost him one of his tails, injuring it badly enough that he won't be able to use it.".
Shadow thought, 'That would explain why one of his tails was bandaged, and why he couldn't fly up with Cream and Cheese earlier…'.
The anti-hero looked to Vanilla, who looked down and lost in thought after fixing his arm up. He gathered his thoughts up and soon spoke, "Your daughter and Tails… they almost remind me of the relationship I had with Maria…".
Vanilla looked to him and asked, "Maria… wasn't that the granddaughter of Gerald Robotnik from Earth?".
He nodded, his eyes closed as he was lost in memories. He continued on, "Your daughter and the fox… they remind me of what could have been between me and Maria… if only the human government did not interfere.". It was always a sore spot for him, to remember the day and time when Maria was cut down due to government agents coming in to put a stop to Robotnik's plans.
He sighed, trying to control the rush of negative emotions that were now coursing through his being. He opened his eyes, the red orbs looking to Vanilla who looked very concerned at him. Shadow stated, "This is why I am here, to put an end to Dr. Eggman's plans for world domination… for good.".
The way he spoke the words sent a shiver through Vanilla's being, now feeling more concerned about the well-being of the anti-hero. Shadow looked to her and explained, "The doctor's plans and actions remind me of what his grandfather back on Earth did. Gerald's plans for world conquest cost me Maria… and now his grandson's plan is involving Tails and Cream. I do not want them to suffer as I did when Maria was slain…".
Shadow knew that it was Gerald's actions that not only cost his dear friend, but also made him to grow and resent humans & be pessimistic overall about life. Sad thing was that he knew it was part of him for good, and that kind of thing would be his burden to bear for all the rest of his days.
Feeling that his arm was better, he thanked Vanilla for the care and started to walk towards the door. The beautiful mature rabbit stood up and asked, "Shadow… please be careful. And also… can you find Tails and Cream for me?".
He stopped in front of the door, tilting his head to look at her and answered, "I will find them & bring them back here. In the meantime, I advise you to stay here. I believe the scanners of the place won't be able to detect you in here, so stay put.".
She nodded her head, than Shadow opened the door and stepped outside. Once he was out of the house, he closed the door and used Chaos Control to teleport back up to the shadows where he could stay hidden. Once secure in the darkness, he started his search for Cream.
~In the ventilation system network~
While Shadow was now looking for Cream and Cheese, said duo were crawling through the ventilator ducts as they were looking for Tails. Cream was in a sad mood the whole time, worried about her mother and hoping that she was okay. When they came to a four-way intersection, Cheese patted her hand and spoke to her in his own words, trying to cheer her up.
The little rabbit wiped away a stray tear from her eye as she softly replied, "Thanks Cheese. I needed that. Mother… I believe she is fine. Still… we need to find Tails first, then find Mother. And after that, look for a way to escape from this horrible place.".
It was not much of a plan, but it was the only thing they had going for them. The duo looked to see on which way they should go… until they heard laughter, one that was very much familiar. Cream whispered, "That sounds like…! And if he is there, maybe Tails is there too!".
The two started to crawl to the left of the duct, following the sound of laughter that was very much familiar to the duo. After crawling for about ten minutes or so, the duo found a grate that was the place the voice was coming from. They peeked through the metal bars of said grate… and were surprised on what they saw.
Tails was being held in a cell, Eggman and Bokkun with him as they tease/taunt the young fox. He looked tired, exhausted as he panted a bit while his face also held an expression of deep anger. His arms and tails were held by a gooey blue substance that seemed to be quite strong, as it held the limbs together tightly.
The human doctor once more moved more inside Tails's personal space, flicking the tip of his nose as it went up and down slightly which made Eggman chuckle in evil delight while the fox found it quite annoying & uncomfortable. The human doctor proclaimed, "Hahahahaha! I just love doing that! It's like one of those cartoons that we saw back on Earth!".
Bokkun added in, "Hahahahaha! Yup! Like that silly rabbit does it to that stupid black duck's bill! Hahahaha!". Tails did not find it amusing at all, wanting nothing more than to break free and kick the two in their posteriors hard.
Eggman wiped away a tear of mirth and declared, "Oh, it's so fun to torment my captives! But it's even better when it's someone that is close to that pesky hedgehog!".
The two-tailed fox growled out, wanting to escape but his body was too exhausted to put up a decent struggle. Combine that with his arms being glued like so, not to mention one of his tails' still out of commission, his efforts were futile. Eggman had used his flying machine to pry Tails off of the wall he stuck to earlier, Bokkun forcing his legs together quickly, same with his arms. When the gooey substance bonded with one another, they melded to become one and it was impossible to break them.
The human doctor sneered at his captive and leaned his face forward, making his own nose touch Tails' black nose tip once more. Eggman gloated "Struggle all you want, fox boy. But that goo is one of my very own design. Not even Sonic with his strength could break them apart! And even if you do manage to escape, my fortress here is a maze! One that you will never get out from, and also to never see your precious little friends again! Ho ho ho ho ho!".
He was going to taunt the little two-tailed fox more, but his watch beeps. He stated mockingly, "Oh dear me, my time here is up. I need to go now and look into all of the other prisoners I collected for a bit.". Again, seeing that smug smile on his face made Tails just want to kick it hard with his right foot.
Eggman looked to the small black robot and inquired, "Bokkun, think you can guard this little pest while I check in on the other prisoners?".
Bokkun saluted and responded, "Yes sir, Dr. Eggman! It'll be my pleasure!".
This pleased the evil scientist as he turned to face Tails once more. He reached out his right hand and pinched the left side of the young fox's cheek, sarcastically telling his captive "Aww, don't your worry now Tails. I have more than enough time to complete the special little surprise I have for you, when I get back of course!".
Eggman turned back to little minion and said "Well I'll leave you kiddies to it. I do expect nothing to get broken and for both of you to be kept in the room when I get back. Because if I do come and neither of what I have just said is kept as I would expect, then it'll be both your losses for missing out on all the fun thereafter! Do I make myself clear Bokkun?".
Bokkun saluted as he did before and replied "Of course, Dr. Eggman sir! It'll be no problem!".
The doctor thereupon came face-to-face with his young prisoner once more. And again he reached his right hand out to Tails' face, this time pinching the anthro fox's nose and giving it a little wiggle. This caused the young hero to growl from his indignation, but he could do nothing but endure his time of being the prisoner of his worst enemy. Eggman snickered as he told his captive "Well Tails, judging by the position you are in, I can expect you'll do more than just fine to listen to what I have just said!".
And with that, the evil scientist proceed to leave as he went out the cell door. The second Eggman went out of the door was the moment when it closed shortly afterwards on his verbal command. The cells had electronic locks, and only operated by voice command from either Eggman or his three usual lackeys. The round villain chuckled before leaving the area, his footsteps gradually fading until they were gone.
Once Bokkun was sure that Eggman was gone, he looked to his prisoner with a cheeky grin. He flicked Tails in the nose again, the young fox not making a sound & only glaring at the robot. Said tin-man giggled and exclaimed, "Hahahaha! This is kinda fun! I could do this all day!".
Tails once again resumed his struggling, even though he was quite weak. Bokkun giggled once again as he propped himself next to the cell door and stated, "Awww, give it up, will ya? You've been doing that ever since you got captured, and it's getting a little old. For someone that is supposed to be a genius, you're very stubborn and stupid to keep that up.".
The two-tailed mechanical genius replied, "Not a chance! I am not… going… to give… up!". He tried to pry himself free from the substances off his wrists, but it was again no use.
Bokkun snickered and held up a small green bottle from his pack. He declared, "Fat chance of opening those locks, Tails! I have the only means of dissolving that gunk, but you're not going to get it!". The little robot was right, as while the cell was small in terms of width, height-wise it was quite high. It was designed that way so that escape would be difficult for anyone unless they could fly.
The creation of Eggman cackled as he started to play around with Tails' nose, wiggling it this way and that. Bokkun was enjoying this too much, loving fact that he could do anything to the prisoner while said captive could not do anything other than grit his teeth in anger. The little robotic minion exclaimed, "Hahahaha! This is rich! You tried to be a hero, and look what happened! Your friends got caught, and most likely are in one of the cells that Eggman is going to! So much for being a hero like Sonic!".
The two-tailed fox growled as he gritted his teeth in anger, before he then lifted his head to try and bite Bokkun's finger. But the little robot was quick to pull it away. Bokkun sneered and remarked, "Eggman was right about you on a lot of things, especially for being a brat! Brats like you should stay at home instead of trying to play hero!". Thereupon he tilted his face close where Tails is still standing and presses his face against the young fox's black nose tip.
Bokkun continued "Oh yeah, that's right… you don't HAVE a home! If I remember correctly, Eggman trashed it and captured your parents!". Said tin-man cackled again, showing that like Eggman, he took great pleasure at seeing the pain of others.
Just then, a shout of something was heard that made the duo look around on where the sound came from. Bokkun called out as he flew up and high, "Hey! Who's there?! Who yelled?!". The Creation of Eggman looked up at the grate above him… and was soon met with a light-blue body that slammed through the grate and onto him, sending him down to the ground hard! Bokkun yelped upon impact, both from the slam and from hitting the ground.
Tails soon saw that the blue being that just slammed into Bokkun… was Cheese! The little Chao had been the one to let out the shout from earlier, and a look of anger was on his face as he proceeded to smack the black robot with some punches and kicks! His sudden appearance took everyone by surprises, especially Bokkun as he was soon sporting bruises on his face and body thanks to Cheese.
The two-tailed fox exclaimed, "Cheese?! Is that you?!".
Bokkun managed to regain his senses enough to push away from Cheese, looking at the Chao whose cheeks were puffed up from anger. He exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! How did you get here?! And if you're here, where is…?".
Bokkun realized something, that if Cheese came down through the grate… that must mean his other friend was there! He looked up… only to receive two boots to the face! Cream had dropped down from the grate, using Bokkun's face as a landing pad of sort. Normally, she would have used her ears to float down gently. But… considering what she and Cheese had heard a little while ago, she was considerably ticked and wanted to make the small robot pay.
And she did, because Bokkun got KO'd good after being stomped on by the bunny. Anything coming down from that height with gravity helping out would knock most beings out like so.
Tails was very much surprised to see Cream, who turned to him & her faced morphed from cute-furious to relive in a second. He spoke in a surprised tone, "Cream?! H-How did you…?!". He was interrupted when Cream pulled him into a hug, her warm body against his that assured him that this was all real. Relief flowed into his being at seeing her again.
Cream looked to him with shining bright eyes and asked, "Tails, we're glad you're okay! Are you hurt anywhere?".
The young lad answered as he looked to the little lady, "Other than tired from all the struggling, no. My body was a bit shaken by Bokkun's attack from earlier, but I feel better now that I know you're okay.".
Both the little bunny and two-tailed fox smiled at one another, happy to see each other again and well despite the circumstances that the two had to deal with at this stage. It was then Cream gave her soon-to-be brother a comforting nuzzle on his left cheek, which made Tails more comfortable than how his tormentors had previously close in on his personal space and messed around with his face as much as they enjoyed.
Once Cream stopped nuzzling Tails, said fox proceeded to speak as he asked "Cream, how is it that you're here?! I saw on a monitor that the two of you and your mother were captured! How did you escape?".
The adorable bunny girl answered, "Something attacked the robots that were with us from above. When they were all destroyed, Mother took me and Cheese to escape. But we ran into a dead-end, and Mother made me to fly through one on of the air vents so that we could escape. Oh Tails, I hope that she is safe…".
Cheese looked down at the downed Bokkun, whose face had Cream's boots imprinted on his face. His eyes were X's, and his tongue sticking out, making him look quite comical. He then saw the bottle around his neck, yanking it off and flying towards the duo. He held up the object that held the substance that would free Tails from his predicament.
The little Chao proceeded to pour the bottle onto the two blue goo substances that was keeping the young fox's wrists stuck against the wall. Tails watched as green liquid from the bottle was being poured forth onto the blue goo, which quickly bubbled like soap made it look less sticky than it was. Tails thanked Cheese as the little Chao went on to dip more of the green liquid onto the blue goo that was keeping the anthro fox's tails encased as well.
By the time Cheese had finished, the bottle was empty as no more of the green liquid came out of there. The Chao smacked the bottom of the bottle in hopes of some of the green liquid being left over, but again nothing. Not even a splatter. He looked to Tails with sad eyes, saying an apology that there was nothing left. The two-tailed hero smiled softly as he said "It's okay Cheese. Thanks for the help though". The little light blue creature returned the smile with gratitude.
Tails then took a moment to examine the substances on his wrists and tails. He was getting ready to try once more to free himself from his captivity. He said "I sure hope this works!".
He was about to give it a try when Cream responded, "You can do it Tails. Me and Cheese believe in you!". The Chao returned the comment as if he too was supporting Tails, who in turn smiled back at the duo watching him.
It was then an uncertainty on Tails' face turned to determination as he leaned forward once more, struggling to free himself with as much effort as possible. It seemed that this wasn't going to work out as Tails' efforts went unchanged after a few tries, even when the blue goo on his wrists were shown appearing to slightly move in rapid attitude.
And then... it finally happened. Tails found as much strength as he could to physically remove himself from his predicament. Two of the blue goo on his wrists came off, while his twin-tailed were yanked off the substance from the wall. The young fox declared, "Yes! I'm free!". He started to rub his wrists to get some feeling back into them while his ankles healed on his own. The substance, while looking gooey and moldable, was hard like steel for the fox.
Cream ran up to her two-tailed teammate and they embraced in a hug. She cried out "I knew you'd do it Tails!".
The anthro mechanical genius replied "Heh-heh, yeah. Well it's really thanks to you and Cheese. He helped get me free, and then you gave me the encouragement I need to help to boost my confidence in escaping the sticky situation Eggman put me through!".
The little Chao returned the compliment. Tails thanked him and gave him a pat on the head in gratitude. The young fox subsequently noticed that the bandages on his tails were slowly falling apart from when he yanked them off the substance from the wall. At the moment his tails are still slightly sore from the injury he sustained from the village invasion. Fortunately he wasn't in too much pain, but it's clear to him that his tails are still far from fully recovered.
Cream then asked in concern, "Your tails? Do they still hurt?".
The two-tailed hero answered with a slight nod, "A little, but not fortunately I'm not in too much pain I still can't fly though since one of my tails is still recuperating from the earlier attack in the village. Plus, Eggman had virtually made things harder for me after the predicament he just put me through".
Tails then realized something and said in a grim tone, "Right now, though I need to go and stop Eggman before he puts his plans into motion!".
Tails then realized something and said in a grim tone, "Right now, though, I need to go and stop Eggman before he puts his plans into motion!".
Cream and Cheese looked confused and asked, "Plans? What is he going to do now?".
The anthro fox answered, "He's made something called the Deluxe Egg-Robo Cannon. According to him, one blast will turn anyone it hits into a cyborg of some kind! Not completely like the robotization process, but enough so that anything that gets hit will obey him.".
This caused Cream and Cheese to gasp in shock and horror. They had seen what happened to others when they had been robotized, and something like this was truly horrible. Cream whispered, "Oh dear… Tails, we're coming to help you!".
The young lad looked to them and exclaimed, "No way Cream! It's too dangerous! I put you, Vanilla and Cream in danger enough as it is! I need to…".
Just then, the radio at Bokkun's belt went off. Eggman's voice came over it, "Bokkun! Bokkun! Listen up! I just learned that several of the anthro prisoners have escaped! The locks have been blasted off! There is a rat here on this ship, and I will find him or her! You do your duty and make sure that two-tailed pest is kept locked up tight! Bokkun, Bokkun to do you copy?! Say something, you little black boom box shrimp?!".
Cream and Tails knew that soon, an alarm would go off and the place would be crawling with robotic soldiers! The little bunny girl exclaimed, "Tails, we need to go! If we stay here, it's all over!".
Seeing that she was right, he agreed with her and asked on how they would get out. The door was locked, and could only be opened by either Eggman or Bokkun's voice. And since said robot was still KO'd, that was a problem. Cheese than pointed upwards towards the vent that they just came out from.
Cream looked to her friend and stated, "Good idea Cheese! Tails, we can go up there! I can carry you up and we can escape through there!".
He replied, "Okay, that sounds like a plan! But once we do escape, we need to find your mother so that you three can escape from this place while I go and try to stop Eggman.".
The little rabbit had a worried look on her face as she remarked, "No! Me and Cheese will go with you, to help you to take down that bad machine that Dr. Eggman made!". Cheese cried out, agreeing with his friend.
Tails stammered, "But… But… Cream! You have to go and find your Mom! You need to get out of this place!".
Cream looked to him and stubbornly replied, "No Tails! We came to find you, and after hearing on what that bad doctor is going to do, we're going to help you!".
The two-tailed fox looked to be in a quandary; even though he was proud of Cream to show such bravery now, he was more concerned about her, Cheese and Vanilla's well-being. He exclaimed, "Cream, please… you got to find your mother and get out of this place! I… I…".
The little rabbit girl soon felt something in Tails' tone, which had her soften her features as she looked at her friend. She went closer to him, her eyes shining as she softly asked, "Tails… what's wrong?".
Said anthro fox sighed as he slumped against the wall, his head down as what happened earlier came back to his mind. He whispered in a sad tone, "Cream… I… I just don't feel strong enough to do this. I… Back when those robots attacked your home, it… it took all I had to push those robots back. And even then it almost cost me a tail. Sonic… he would have never gotten hurt at all if he had been there. And now… couldn't protect you, Cheese or your mom when I tried to distract Eggman.".
A tear slipped out from his face, splashing the floor as he let his true thoughts & emotions come through. He whispered, "I… I don't know what to do. I want to protect you and the others… but I can't. And now with my tails disabled and weak from all that struggling… I… I just don't know if I can do this now…".
Tails was all set up earlier to go and take on Eggman, but he started to think that it was all foolish bravado. He was beating on himself not being able to protect Cream, Cheese and Vanilla when they were in danger. And now comparing himself with his friend Sonic, knowing full well that he would have never gotten hurt while defending the town earlier from the robotic soldiers.
His spirit was almost broken… keyword being 'almost'.
Cream knew what she had to do, her instincts not as a friend… but more like a sister. She went up to him, gently cupping his face up in her hands and tilting it up so that she could see him. His eyes were watery, trying to hold back the tears but failing.
She whispered, "Tails, listen to me. You are a hero like Mr. Sonic, and also you are stronger than you believe. You have done many amazing things, here and also when we were all on Earth. Don't you remember? You made all sorts of amazing things to help us against that mean old Eggman, and also gone up against him before. Remember?".
Tails listened to her words, the tender tones that held that unique quality to pierce through the darkness of despair & fog of comparison. He did create many items and objects that were used to aid Sonic to help counter the human doctor's creations, both on Mobius and on Earth.
The adorable little bunny added, "I've never known anyone to be just as brave as you!".
The two-tailed fox looked up to Cream and asked, "Really?"
The little girl answered "Yes Tails! Just remember all the times you've helped Sonic and others from all kinds of situations that we all managed to overcome in the end!".
Seeing that he was now diving into the good memories, judging by his facial feature changing to a positive one, Cream decided to try something that she hoped would seal the deal on her 'brother' no longer being down on himself. She continued, "And also, what about Cosmo? Do you think that she would want you to let anything get you down?".
Hearing her name caused Tails to recall the young space woman that had captured his heart; recollecting the good times he had with her, and also the times when they relied on one another to see things through. And even though she was gone… he knew well enough that she would want him to stay anchored down by despair and self-loathing.
It just took a gentle rabbit girl like Cream to remind him of that.
He looked to her, a small but true smile on his face… before hugging her tight and whispering, "Thank you Cream… thank you so much… you really are a sister, helping me to get out from my pit".
She was a bit surprised by the hug, but it was in a pleasant way. She smiled and hugged him back, saying with soft but strong love in her tone, "Hey, that is what a sister does for her brother.". Cheese joined in the hug too, showing that he viewed Tails as a sibling as well.
The touching moment was held on for a few moments... and then all the sudden it was all interrupted by the klaxon-like alarm that spread through the whole area! The kids held onto their ears as the sound was quite abrupting and loud. Tails exclaimed, "Well, we better get going! Okay Cream, Cheese… let's go and stop Eggman!".
The duo nodded, Cream soon flapping her ears as she gained some height while holding onto Tails' wrists! She lifted them up towards the duct, she going in first into the vent and then pulling Tails along with her. Cheese flew in and followed them, the trio now crawling fast in order to find the place where Eggman kept his new weapon.
~In the Command Bridge~
It was chaos at the Bridge, the workers were typing in on various command consoles. Normally, Becoe and Decoe would be issuing commands while working on the console themselves. But they were still indisposed, getting cleaned up still at the Washing Station. Dr. Eggman was not pleased as he saw that on the monitors, many anthro prisoners that he had captured in order to test his latest weapon on were being set free & running loose on the ship.
He exclaimed, "I want a status report now! Where is Bokkun?! Who is setting the prisoners free?!".
One of the Egg-Robos typed in some commands, and on one of the screens was a display of the cell that Tails was in… but with no two-tailed fox inside, but rather a dazed Bokkun as he was slowly waking up. Eggman saw the bottle lying on the floor next to him, knowing that his captive was most likely free from the adhesive. He also saw the foot imprint on Bokkun's face, noticing quickly that it did not match that of Tails. He knew that someone helped him… but who?
He grabbed a hand-set radio and exclaimed with fury into it, "Bokkun! The prisoner has escaped?! What happened?! Tell me now!".
The reply he got was that of the robot who was now crying, "I-I-I'm sorry Dr. Eggman! Cream and Cheese ambushed me, and she…!". That was all he could say until the human doctor's voice cut him off.
Eggman shouted in surprise, "Cream and Cheese?! They escaped?! How?! And…!".
The screen soon changed, going from showcasing a crying Bokkun to one of the cells which was on a lower level. It showed a black blur of some kind, one that threw golden bolts of spears at the locks on the cell doors, which were destroyed and allowed the anthro prisoners to be set free. He ordered, "Freeze the image and clear up the distortion as best you can!".
One of the Egg-Robos complied, the image soon being paused and the distortion that was in place clearing up thanks to a computer program. Eggman peered closely at it… than he growled in frustration to see on who it was that was causing chaos in his own airship.
He slammed one of his fists down at the console and exclaimed, "Its Shadow! He's the one doing all of this!".
Eggman knew that he had to nip this in the bud and fast! He ordered, "Send Heavy Squadron 1, 2 and 3 to locate and intercept Shadow! I am going to personally find the little brats!". He marched out of the Bridge area, going to his personal aircraft that had the necessary equipment he needed in order to locate Tails and his friends.
Things were now heating up for the heroes and heroine!
(Author's Notes: The battle is going to come up soon, so get ready!
R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave long reviews! Also, Happy Good Friday and Easter to all!)